What is yerba mate?
Yerba mate (pronounced “yer-ba mah-tay”) is a traditional South American drink. It is made from the dried leaves and thin twigs of Ilex paraguariensis, a holly tree native to the forests of South America, and it is drunk hot or cold. “Yerba” is the Spanish word for herb, and “mate” comes from the Quechua word for the gourd it is traditionally drunk from.
In Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and southern Brazil it is more than a drink. It is a pause in the day, a gesture of welcome and the reason friends and family sit down together.
Where yerba mate comes from
The yerba mate tree grows wild in the subtropical forests of the Paraná river basin, where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet, and it is now grown on farms in the same region. The Guaraní people drank it long before Europeans arrived. Today the leaves and thin twigs are harvested, dried (traditionally over a wood fire, which gives some yerbas a smoky note, while others are dried with hot air and taste less smoky), left to age and then ground. The cut, the amount of stem and the ageing all change the flavour.
- Argentina. Mate is the national drink, and most of the yerba is grown in the north-eastern provinces of Misiones and Corrientes. Argentine yerba usually includes some stem (con palo), which makes a smoother, milder cup.
- Uruguay. Little yerba is grown here, but Uruguayans are usually counted as the biggest drinkers per person, and are famous for walking the street with a gourd in one hand and a thermos under the other arm. Uruguayan yerba is usually a fine cut without stems (sin palo), with a bold flavour.
- Paraguay. The home of tereré, the cold version of mate drunk with iced water or juice, a tradition that goes back to the Guaraní. Paraguayan yerba is often sold blended with herbs.
- Brazil. In the south, mate is called chimarrão: a bright green, finely ground yerba served hot in a gourd called a cuia, with a metal straw called a bomba.
How yerba mate is prepared
The traditional way uses a gourd (the mate itself, which can also be wood, ceramic, glass or steel) and a bombilla, a metal straw with a filter at the bottom that holds back the leaves. The gourd is filled about three quarters full, shaken so the fine dust settles, and tilted so the yerba banks up on one side. A little cool water is poured in to wet the leaves, then hot but not boiling water goes into the same hollow and the mate is sipped through the bombilla. Once the bombilla is in place it stays there, and the same yerba is topped up with hot water again and again until the flavour fades. Our photo-illustrated guide shows each step.
In hot weather, and especially in Paraguay, mate is served cold as tereré: iced water or juice, a larger cup or horn (guampa) and the same bombilla. Our guide to making tereré has the details. Yerba mate also comes in tea bags, which are the quickest way to try it.
What does yerba mate taste like?
Fresh, green and grassy, with a slightly bitter edge a little like a strong green tea, and an earthy depth. Yerbas dried over a wood fire have a smoky note. Yerba with stems is smoother and milder, and yerba without stems is bolder and more bitter. Blends with herbs, mint or citrus add their own flavour. The first sips are the strongest, and the taste softens as the same yerba is refilled.
Naturally contains caffeine. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women.
La ronda: sharing mate
Mate is made to be shared. Friends and family sit in a circle, la ronda, and share a single gourd and bombilla, a get-together known as a mateada. One person, the cebador, prepares the mate. They drink the first one themselves (it is the most bitter), refill the gourd and pass it to the next person, who drinks it all and hands it back for a refill. So it goes round the circle, in the same order. A guest says “gracias” only when they have had enough, so the cebador should not be offended if nobody says thank you until the end of the afternoon.
Nobody is in a hurry. The point of the ronda is the conversation, whether it is in a park in Montevideo, on a river bank in Asunción or round a kitchen table in Porto Alegre. Offering someone a mate is a sign of welcome and friendship, which is why a gourd and bombilla make a lovely gift: browse our gift ideas.
How to choose a yerba mate
- With or without stems. For a first yerba, choose one with stems (con palo): it is milder and smoother. Yerba without stems (sin palo) is a stronger, more bitter cup.
- Origin. Argentine, Uruguayan, Paraguayan and Brazilian yerbas each have their own cut and character, as above. Our country pages let you compare them.
- Plain or blended. Plain yerba has the classic grassy taste. Blends add herbs, mint or citrus.
- Smoked or unsmoked. Traditional yerba is dried over a wood fire and tastes smoky. Unsmoked yerba is dried with hot air and tastes cleaner and greener.
- For tereré. A coarser yerba with plenty of stem is traditional, and it works well with cold water.
- A starter kit. The easiest way to begin is a starter kit with a gourd and a bombilla.
For more help, read our complete buying guide, or see the glossary if the Spanish and Portuguese words are new to you.
To see how mate fits into the story of a whole region, read a brief history of yerba mate.
